Writer Biography

Molly Jenkins is a freshman at Utah State University from Lehi, Utah. She has three siblings, one older brother and two younger sisters. She loves music and learning about anything concerning health. She loves doing anything that uses her creativity. She wants to study health science and achieve her dream of working in the medical field. 

This essay was composed in May 2022 in an English 1010 class. Jenkins uses MLA documentation.

Topic question: Why do medical residents experience so much burnout? 

PHYSICIANS ARE ONE OF THE most at-risk professionals for burnout. Medical residents (physicians in training) experience even more burnout than the physicians that have already completed the process. In simple terms, burnout is defined as long-term “workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” (qtd. in “Burn-out”). The problem of burnout is caused by several factors in the medical residents’ training and lives, including, the working conditions, time spent on training, and lack of adequate self-care.

Several different types of medical residents experience burnout. One 2018 study measured the amount of burnout residents experienced within various medical specialties (Rodrigues et al.). Anesthesiology (51%), internal medicine (45-49%), and general surgery (41-42%) experienced the most burnout (Rodrigues et al. 6). Another source states that “[t]here are studies that paradoxically indicate a higher level of stress in regular, non-Covid wards of hospitals, compared to front-line ones” (Dimitriu et al. 2). The reasoning behind this finding is because the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significantly more stress on the residents in regular hospital wards.

What do these two sources tell us about which residents experience the most burnout? The residents that tend to experience the most burnout are not necessarily the ones who work in the emergency departments, but more of the regular, less urgent parts of hospitals. Personally, when I think of medical residents experiencing burnout I think of the residents that are in the Emergency Room or ICU, that are working several overnight shifts. You hear stories of residents working unprecedented hours, often over 24-hour shifts. However, based on these articles and studies, the residents that tend to experience the most burnout are not necessarily the ones who work in the emergency departments, but more of the regular, less urgent parts of hospitals (Rodrigues et al., Dimitriu et al.). Specifically, residents that work in anesthesiology, internal medicine, and general surgery.  

Why do medical residents experience burnout in the first place?  Burnout in residents happens for four main reasons: “[O]verwork and sleep deprivation, emotional drain from dealing with sick and dying patients, lack of time for personal lives outside of training, and that training years coincide with major events of the residents’ lives” (Mian et al. 3). Since the residents are working long hours, they often lack an adequate amount of sleep. Adding to the physical stress of lack of sleep, medical residents are typically between 26 and 40, when they are most likely to get married or have children. Having these significant events while experiencing the stress of residency training is a big source of burnout for some.  

The amount of emotional stress that medical residents are under is another big cause of burnout. Holland Kaplan, a medical resident that spent the first part of her residency in the ICU, talks about how critical care was very difficult for her, and that she became extremely burnt out within two weeks of beginning her training. She had patients that would be in critical conditions, such as a patient that had severe anemia, heart failure, and metastatic cancer. She did CPR on this patient and felt that there was no use and that there was not a lot she could have done to save the patient. She knew this patient wouldn’t have much of a chance no matter how many times she did chest compressions on them. In fact, she actually ended up leaving the ICU because it was so draining for her (Kaplan). This caused her to feel burnt out and emotionally drained because she knew that no matter what she did, there wasn’t much she could do. Dealing with these conditions on a daily basis takes a large emotional toll on these residents.

Many, if not all, residents will experience some form of burnout during their career. The true extent is hard to determine due to the high number of differing variables in each case. Some factors include the location, program, age of residents, gender, and specialty. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a 22-item self-administered questionnaire, is considered the “gold standard” in measuring burnout and is the most commonly used (Thomas). After surveying a group of medical residents using the MBI questionnaire, one study concluded that the rate of burnout among medical residents can range from 28%-45% (IsHak et al.).

In the face of this growing problem, more awareness and resources are being provided for residents to address burnout. Alana Mendelsohn, who was a fourth-year psychiatry resident at Columbia Medical Center in 2021, discusses her own residency training when she explains, “I was actually warned about the growing mental health crisis among doctors in training. About half of us would develop burnout during our training, and a quarter would develop clinical depression, a rate that has been estimated to be 3 to 4 times that of similarly aged peers in other professions” (Mendelsohn). Almost half of medical residents experience burnout, and that rate is fairly consistent among all specialties. Although some specialties have higher rates of burnout than others. However, as Medelsohn explains, there is more education and awareness being raised on the subject, particularly amongst residents that are starting their training.  

As burnout is incredibly common and harmful to the residents, research has been done to discover ways to manage it. Research suggests medical residents can focus at least six things to avoid burnout. Research suggests medical residents can focus at least six things to avoid burnout. These six categories include, “having proper nutrition, staying physically fit, focusing on their emotional health, taking care of themselves first, financial health, and mindset and behavior adaptability” (“Preventing”).

Burnout among medical residents is caused by several different factors. Several medical residents experience burnout, and it happens among most, if not all, medical specialties. It can happen for several reasons. Luckily, there has been research showing that there are ways to combat the problem. More research will continue to be done on this topic, but there should be more awareness surrounding burnout in the medical field.  

Works Cited

“Burn-out an ‘Occupational Phenomenon’: International Classification of Diseases.” World Health Organization News, WHO, 28 May 2019, https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases.

Dimitriu, Mihai C.T., et al. “Burnout Syndrome in Romanian Medical Residents in Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Medical Hypotheses, vol. 144, pp. 1-4, Nov. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109972.

IsHak, Waguih William, et al. “Burnout During Residency Training: A Literature Review.” Journal of Graduate Medical Education, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 236-42, Dec. 2009, doi:10.4300/JGME-D-09-00054.1.

Kaplan, Holland. “Futility as a Cause of Burnout in Residency.” Journal Watch: Insights on Residency Training, NEJM Group, 26 Oct. 2020, https://blogs.jwatch.org/general-medicine/index.php/2020/10/futility-as-a-cause-of-burnout-in-residency/.

Mendelsohn, Alana. “Beneath the Wheel: A Resident Reflects on Burnout and Professional Identity.” Psychiatric Times, MJH Life Sciences, 2 Feb. 2021, https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/beneath-the-wheel.

Mian, Amir, et al. “Medical Student and Resident Burnout: A Review of Causes, Effects, and Prevention.” Journal of Family Medicine and Disease Prevention, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 1-8, 2018, doi.org/10.23937/2469-5793/1510094.

“Preventing Burnout in Medical Residents and Fellows: 6 Keys for Wellness.” Medical Resident Wellness, American Medical Association, 20 Jan. 2016, https://www.ama-assn.org/medical-residents/medical-resident-wellness/preventing-burnout-medical-residents-and-fellows-6-keys.

Rodrigues, Hugo, et al. “Burnout Syndrome among Medical Residents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” PLOS ONE, vol. 13, no. 11, 2018, pp. 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206840.

Thomas, Niku K. “Resident Burnout.” Journal of American Medical Association, vol. 292, no. 23, pp. 2880-2889, Dec. 2004, doi:10.1001/jama.292.23.2880.